Volume 21 Issue 7 special section May 20, 2021

graphic by Olivia Palmer collages by Natalie Fedde and Jonathan Spieler

Page 2

Graduation playlists remind us of all of the songs of our chikdhood.

Page 3

Restaurants and companies compete for the best sweet tea.

Pages 4-5

Play The Game Of Life: Class of 2021 Edition. art by K.J Ellison

Page 6-8

Common Sense seniors say their final goodbyes.

Senior Sense 5 • 20 • 2021

2

To the Class of 2021...

Let me

Class of

start out by saying this, few

2021,

groups have had to experience what you have over

Congratulations on your graduation at the culmination

the past year and a half. Even fewer have handled themselves,

of what has been, to say the least, a trying and difficult last 15

their actions, their attitude, and their efforts in a way that the Class of

months. My one wish for you as you move on is when you look back on

2021 has done. Your senior year was a year of unknowns. Were we going to have

these days, you will do so with the hindsight and ability to recognize that even

school in the fall? Were we going to stay in school? Were there going to be sporting

in the midst of difficulty and challenges, there was fun to be had, events worthy of celebration, joy to be felt, and successes to be savored. In short, life is what you make of it. Nothing will have a greater impact on the one you have than your mindset and attitude, and no adversity will undo you without you

events and concerts? Were there going to be dances and social events? There were so many questions with few answers. Yet, with everything that we did not know, there was one thing we did. We knew that this group would be able to lead the way. We knew that the Class of 2021 would be able to weather the storm. I want to thank all of you for what you did to make

first granting it permission to do so.

this year more successful than anyone could have imagined. Your leadership and presence

-Mr. Pinkall

throughout the year contributed to a positive school year for all of us. As your next year unfolds, keep in mind what you have already experienced and overcome. It will take you far and will make many other challenges seem small. I appreciate all that

Dear

Congrats

MSHS Class of 2021,

you seniors have done and cannot thank you enough for sticking with it.

I am proud of you...Millard South is proud of you. Thank you,

Class of 2021! You

Wow, what a year the 20-21 school year

Class of 2021.

have been great leaders and

has been! I wish each and every one of you the

-Mr. Geerts

examples for others. Thank you for

best of luck in your future endeavors. My piece of advice to all of you is that you need to find happiness in all that you do and don’t settle for less. Go chase your dreams and make me proud.

Sincerely, Mrs. Weaver

making Millard South a great place to go to school. Enjoy these next few weeks

Class of

as you prepare to graduate. We are

2021!

proud of you!

Did you ever think in August we would make

-Dr. Sutfin

it through your Senior year with ZERO shutdowns! We had LOTS of cleaning, LOTS of sanitizing, LOTS of new rules but you had a Senior year that you will hopefully never forget! Masks, limits, quarantines have not defined who the Class of 2021 is but it proved that you can get

To the Class

through anything! Scholarships, 30 and Above, 3pt Jumps, Athletics, Activities

of 2021,

and S..S...Sen...I...I..Ior Sen...ior...Senior Senior Senior!

What an amazing experience that you lived through almost half of

We are so proud of all you have accomplished and when the world threw us

your high school career. Each year we see another group of students finish their

all a huge curveball you were able to power through and make the best

high school experience and move on to the next phase in their journey. Each year, there are

of it!

moments that define and stay with you throughout your life. Thank you for sharing this year with

Congratulations Class of 2021!

me. The successes of performing in activities and athletics and in the classroom, the tireless effort to wash

-Mrs. Wragge

hands, mask and socially distance so we could keep our building open and see you each day. We sometimes get lost in the things we HAVE to do. Always remember to turn the focus on what you GET to do. We got to open our building and provide an opportunity for students to be in the halls of Millard South. By following our directed health measures, we got to be in classes, walk the halls, watch you perform and celebrate with you. This year will stay with all of us in our memories. You endured, and together we made it to Graduation! Best wishes to you as you step forward into your next stage of life. Thank you for your impact on Millard South and remember to Love, Serve, and Care!

-Mr. Millard

Class of 2021 I wanted to let you know how proud I am of each and every one of you. The past two years have been difficult but you have worked through it like champions! Patriot Nation will miss you! Thank you for making a positive impact on our school and community!

Mr. Throne (Your Biggest Fan) #YouAreMillardSouth

Seniority: Spotify playlists for senior year

Through the Years: the songs from K - 12

Senior Sense 5• 20 • 2021

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Senior Editorial:

Title for most problematic goes to… Superlatives! keep the idea of having two winners for each category, making up for the lack of boy and girl lists, and just have two winners. Hypothetically, if we end up with two girls winning, it shouldn’t matter, because the top two from each category should be the two best winners from the grade.

Another idea for senior superlatives that is worth looking into is people’s names. In general, there are a lot of students at this school who go by a nickname or even use a different name, and they would probably like it if we started using their preferred names on forms seen by the whole school.

The best way to go about letting students use the name they want to go by is sending out a form to fill out if you’d like to use a different name during the superlative voting period.

This will let students have their preferred name on forms and not have to worry about the specific gendered lists when it comes to superlatives.

We are hoping to bring light to these concerns after watching countless genderqueer people in our grade be disappointed in seeing their non-prefered names not on the right lists. It isn’t fair that they can’t participate in a Millard South tradition just because they don’t identify with the gender binary.

art by Keely King Sam, Joey, and Phoebe are three wonderful pooches that love to play all day long.

Belong to Kate Varilek

Angel is a rescue pit-bull/ boxer mix who is the Millard South girls cross country team mascot and knows what to do in response to a person having a seizure.

Belongs to Abbie Smith

The Sweet Tea Carah Jones Staff Reporter

1.

I had some really low expectations, and I usually don’t eat at Mickey D’s… yet here I am, pleasantly surprised. Who all knew McDonald’s had absolutely baller sweet tea and chose to not tell?

2.

Gold Peak Tea This is my go-to sweet tea. Tried and true, it’s got a beautiful color to it, a perfect amount of sweetness, and there’s the legit flavor of tea, too.

3.

Somehow, someway Sonic keeps sneaking up on me with food that is weirdly good, and this is yet another example. I’m starting to get suspicious of Sonic, and the conspiracy theories are already formulating. How is the food this good??????

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Are the people crying yet? They should be.

Chick fil A’s tea is good, but it’s clearly not the best. All in all, I can get behind it, and so can 7th grade Carah that bought a whole gallon of it and drank it all in under three days while in Minneapolis.

graphic by Sam Tews

Traditions at Millard South High School have gone on for many years, including one of the more iconic traditions of senior superlatives. Every year, the current class of seniors will nominate their classmates for categories including “Most likely to be president” and “Who has the best hair,” then await the results at the senior banquet. Since we are still in a pandemic, we did have to change a few things around, but we think there are a couple other things we should think about changing for the future years of senior superlatives.

To get straight to the point, senior superlatives should not be gendered. The awards should be given to the two best candidates in the entire graduating class and not the best boy and best girl. One of the main reasons for this concern is that not everyone in the graduating class is a boy or a girl. There are so many students who don’t identify as a boy or a girl, so we shouldn’t single out superlatives, a class inclusive tradition, to only boys and girls.

A lot of people might be surprised to hear about the number of students who identify as non-binary or go by a different set of pronouns. So, when a student sees their name on a list with the boy or girl at the top, it can really hurt and make those students not feel represented or included in the activity. How does one feel included when you don’t have their respected gender identity listed in superlatives? That is why we believe that the simple answer is to get rid of gendered lists.

Moving away from the gendered lists does cause a new problem of not having one boy and one girl winning for each category like superlatives traditionally do. It is important to

Senior Patriot Pets

I was already having premonitions of the Chick fil A outbursts, but if y’all come at me saying that Canes’ sweet tea is better, you better give me actual facts or I will tell you to your face that you need to daddy chill.

I had the lowest expectations for this tea out of the bunch, and, surprisingly it wasn’t the worst, but here it is at 6th place. Please never go to KFC with the sole intention of getting their sweet tea. It’s a waste of money and taste buds, but if you happen to already be going for the chicken, still, don’t get the tea, get Dr. Pepper instead.

Pure Leaf I feel like this used to be way better than it is now. WHY DOES IT TASTE SO ACIDIC????????? AM I DRINKING BATTERY ACID?????????????

Snapple (Peach) If y’all get mad about this one, just file a formal complaint to my face. Snapple shouldn’t’ve rebranded, and, on top of that, the flavor isn’t as good as it could be and has been. When I was younger, I loved Snapple, but it’s just… incredibly disappointing now

art by K.J Ellison

art by Olivia Palmer

art by Olivia Palmer

art by K.J Ellison

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Senior Sense 5 • 20 • 2021

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Changing the same

The struggles of when two opposing ideas come together

Natalie Fedde Going to Fordham University to study Journalism

All my life all I have wanted is to explore. My curiosity is the driving force behind every decision I make; I am constantly seeking new experiences.

All this said, I am also the most sentimental person I know. I have boxes in my closet overflowing with keepsakes from every activity I’ve ever done, every adventure I’ve ever gone on, every friendship I’ve ever had.

You might be thinking, “Natalie, that’s normal, everyone’s parents keep boxes of their things.” No. I keep them. I organize them. I lay them all out on my bed every couple of weeks like I’m an eighty year-old woman reliving my glory days, but I am supposed to still be in my glory days!

This combination of my adventure seeking spirit with my unhealthy attachment to the past is about to turn my life into a tornado. This August, I will be moving to New York City, experiencing college and my formative adult years in the center of American culture. The next four years are going to be the greatest adventure of my life, but I am absolutely terrified to leave behind all of my memories.

I am being torn in half, my gut pulling me into my amazing future but my heart holding firm right where I am. Around every corner is another ending of this chapter of my life, and I am spending so much time on fear of never being able to revisit it that I am blind to the great story awaiting me.

Many unexpected events have interrupted my high school experience to the point where I don’t feel like it’s been completed. I haven’t gone on a high school trip or been in as many shows as I could have or yelled the senior chant at a pep rally. These missing experiences leave me feeling like my adolescence is cut short.

I know life isn’t divided into sections, that it is a continuous flowing line, but I can’t help feeling like I am leaving behind my childhood. By moving on to my next adventure, I am accepting that there are certain adventures I will never get to have. I want to suck in the marrow of life, squeezing out every little drop, but it is time for me to accept that there is more life waiting for me elsewhere and by holding onto the past, I am holding myself back.

My mind will forever be at war between spontaneity and sentimentality, but I know that to accomplish all I am capable of, I need to continue hurtling forward. Beginnings don’t always coincide with endings.

The skeletons in my closet (This is not a coming out story)

I have been keeping a deep dark secret for the last three years of high school. Okay, it’s not that deep or that dark of a secret, but a secret that I haven’t been directly sharing with anyone unless you are a close friend of mine.

Basically, I am a cosplayer.

If you don’t know what a cosplayer is, that is okay! A cosplayer is someone who dresses up and makes costumes for their favorite characters (ex. Deadpool, Junko Enoshima [Dananronpa], and Pennywise [It]). It is very common to see people cosplay at conventions like Comic Con, but with the recent pandemic, it has shut down most conventions and cosplayers' creative expression, which has led many people to making videos on TikTok. One of those people is me.

Back in March of 2019, I attended

Kansas City Comicon cosplaying Coraline Jones for the first time. My hair was dyed blue, I bought a special raincoat and rainboots, and I made her dragonfly clip, the three ghost children's eyes, and the green stone. The pure joy I felt when the other attendees recognized my cosplay sent me through the roof. Not only did it make me happy, it made other people excited to see a claymation character come to life.

This is only the beginning of my journey. The summer of 2019 is when I officially joined TikTok, but I kept it a secret since I didn’t want any of my friends knowing I downloaded the app. The first video I ended up posting on my account got over 50k views, which I was very impressed that I managed to do so well.

Almost immediately after that, I started getting videos of other cosplayers wearing their own costumes and lip syncing to 15 second videos. Watching these videos started to inspire me to bring my Coraline Jones costume back out from my closet and start cosplaying more characters. For Halle Benson the next five months after Going to Oklahoma City that, I pieced Univeristy to study Theatre together items of clothing Design and Production and started cosplaying Spider-Man,

Eddie Kaspbrak (It), and Eleven (Stranger Things) for TikTok videos.

During this time, I wasn’t only posting videos of my cosplaying, but videos of current trends, art, and color guard.

I didn’t make a lot of color guard videos, since I wasn’t actively a part of that activity anymore, but I managed to make a couple to show off my past uniforms. That resulted in my first TikTok video to ever go “viral” and pass 750k views.

My video was put into many marching band compilations on YouTube, and I was even notified by Millard South marching band members that they had seen my video online.

At this point, I couldn’t keep my TikTok account a secret anymore. I wanted to tell my friends about my new hobby and the strange popularity I got on the video app, even if they were weirded out by the videos and pictures of me dressed up in costumes and wigs.

Even though I started cosplaying in 2019, my activity truly kicked off during the pandemic. For days and days upon end, I was able to sit in my room and create costumes, props, and videos for my enjoyment and the enjoyment of others.

My characters went from Jack Frost (Rise of the Guardians) to Alex Fierro (Magnus Chase & the Gods of Asgard) to even Ian Lightfoot (Onward). Yes, I did paint my face, neck, and hands blue for his character. Yes, it was very messy and worth it.

Speaking of cosplaying during the pandemic, I was given the opportunity to choose one of my costumes to take pictures in for my senior pictures! It was an easy decision, but I went back to my roots and wore my Spider-Man suit.

My photographer and I went onto two different roofs and took “action” shots of me as the amazing Spider-Man. It was such an amazing opportunity and I’m so happy I got to take senior photos the way I wanted to take them.

So, the big question is, why am I talking about my TikTok success and cosplaying journey now and not in 2019?

I will be totally honest with you, I was scared. Scared that people were going to make fun of me or tease me, but who cares! Who cares what people think of me? I’m happy with dressing up and making videos, and I have made so many cool friends on the app. (Also, if people want to know, my TikTok account has over 40k followers on it and 1.5M likes.)

If you want to start cosplaying, go for it! Nobody is stopping you except the nagging voice inside of your head. Children are mean, that is unavoidable, but you might as well be happy and enjoy your years of high school while having fun.

Senior Sense 5 • 20• 2021

7

The troubling mysteries of Alex’s Google Drive

Alex Tippets Going to University of Nebraska - Omaha and major is undecided

High school creates a lot of opportunities for one to explore their own creativity. Some write music, some create beautiful drawings, some write poetry- I on the other hand had some interesting creative side projects during my four years at Millard South.

I am not artistically inclined. I draw like a first grader, I don’t have much patience and concentration for spending hours practicing an instrument, and I certainly have no talent for writing poetry, but I’m really good at entertaining myself through various random edited photos or Google docs that me and occasionally my friends have created. I’m going to warn you beforehand, some of these projects looking back, are really stupid.

However, that doesn’t take away the fun and connections with people I’ve gained from these experiences.

The first example was the Hat Cult I was a part of in my freshman German II class with some of my other classmates, along with the accompanying Google Doc. The reason for the fun name was the giant paper hats we one day created and wore in class, despite our teacher’s dislike for them (love you Frau Harpole).

Ironically, these very hats we wore were made from a previous volume of this very newspaper I’m writing in.

Looking back over it, it was quite obvious we were freshmen. Jokes about toppling the government, espionage, betrayal, and performing seances for various dead historical figures. There were many jokes, references, and quips at other members that spoke very much of our age. There were also plans for a monthly brunch at Village Inn that, unfortunately, only occurred once. Even then, someone got food poisoning afterwards- so it was probably for the best.

The next item I discovered wasn’t actually something I made, but I can’t give the original creator credit because I don’t remember who they were since we only talked once. It was a poster for the Anti-Dab Society.

Again, something that just screams freshman behavior. I was given a bunch at an after school thing, and then we went through the halls handing them out to people we saw, even to teachers. Probably not the best use of colored ink, but it was funny at the time, so that’s got to count for something.

My sophomore year was pretty tame, but junior year saw the return of Google Doc shenanigans. There was a list called the Mistrilist, which was a list where someone could sign up and be considered one of my mistresses or “mister”esses. I had it hung up in the music commons at one point, and by the end of it I had around 40 people on the list in all. I even had half of them memorized by labeling them in order of when they were added to the list. It was an interesting event to say the least.

Most recently, I discovered a 13 step plan that involved buying a cow and installing it as president of the United States. The reason this came to be is because

someone had discovered an ad for a really cheap cow online, and someone was considering purchasing it. The steps involved things such as having it enroll at Millard South, becoming Joe Biden’s running mate, having her marry her lesbian goose wife Daisy, eliminating the legislative branch, and so much more. It was detailed, and by the heavens it was perfect. It’s unfortunate we never got a shot at executing the plan. We were destined to succeed in my opinion.

Going through all the random stuff I’ve done while going to Millard South has shown me something; time is evil. One minute you're a freshman taking German II in a newspaper hat, the next minute you're in the last two weeks of senior year and writing a column about it. It’s taught me to value the things you have now, because eventually some things are gone forever. High school has been such a surreal experience, with so many good things, as well as bad. I wouldn’t trade it away for anything, and I’m grateful that I was able to go through all the things I’ve done in the last four years, at least one more time before the end.

All the little things: What got me through this pandemic

Senior year has been pretty wack. The whole global pandemic thing this year threw a curveball and turned everything upside down. There were many things I missed out on that makes a normal senior year: show choir competitions, DECA trips, and in-person All-State Choir. Losing out on my favorite things that I looked forward to really put a damper on the year, so I had to find joy in other outlets.

Netflix was one thing that pulled me through this weird year. I was able to throw myself into the beautiful regency-era show "Bridgerton," fall in love with Spencer Reid on "Criminal Minds," and also laugh hysterically at trashy rom coms like "The Kissing Booth" or "Tall Girl." All the shows and movies that I watched were able to fill a void in me and let me block out the surrounding negatives of the world.

Iced coffees and red bulls were another make or break factor of my senior year. Staying caffeinated helped me stay sane and refrain from losing my absolute mind from all the stress in the world.

My go to iced caramel latte with almond milk and extra caramel from Dunkin’ Donuts or a red bull infusion from Scooters allowed me to actually

have motivation to get up in the morning. I probably would’ve been a lot less broke this year if I didn't have a caffeine addiction, but it fueled my mornings and made me ready to take on the day.

The most important thing that kept me going was the love of my life: Harry Styles. Many of my friends know that I have a slight obsession with him. Whether that’s owning merch that spans from apparel to candles, following almost every Harry Styles update account on all social media platforms, or listening to all of his music, including all five of his One Direction albums, on repeat, my love for him is constant. Without his music and his bold presence constantly inspiring me and sparking joy, I definitely would have been lost this year.

All the inanimate items that have been a part of my life this past year have really pulled me along. I’m lucky to have the small things along the way, but the people by my side made this crazy senior year even better. While it wasn’t the senior year of my dreams, I wouldn’t trade the experience for the world. Well, maybe a coffee and Netflix date with Harry Styles. Definitely that.

Olivia Palmer Going to University of Nebraska - Lincoln to study Marketing and Management

Senior Sense 5• 20 •2021

8

Class Size Woes Dramatizations of high school fail to match reality of a class of 600

Carah Jones Going to University of Nebraska Omaha and major is undecided

Séance for my youth Lane Howard Going to Columbia College Chicago to study Game Programming

Everywhere in our culture, we see the high school experience romanticized. TV shows and movies show the drama of the social hierarchy. Each time a new student comes to the school, they learn who the popular kids are, who the nerds are, who’s the class clown and who’s the star athlete.

Everybody knows each other well enough to be involved with the drama. But these stories rarely feature a school with 600-person classes Millard South.

In AP Government this semester, Mr. Kintzle explained how creating a large country reduces the chance of one small group completely dominating the rest. He used the movie “Mean Girls” as an example. In the movie, the Plastics are able to be the most popular and powerful, but we don’t have a similar group at Millard South. Our class sizes are too big. No clique can become that powerful, because not everyone will have even heard of them.

I’ve gone to Millard schools my whole life, and I’ve been at Millard South for all four years.

Every day walking the halls at Millard South, I would see people I didn’t recognize. Every class would

have someone I’d never met. I get recommended profiles on social media of other students from our class of 2021 whom I’ve never heard of.

Our huge class sizes were incredibly apparent during voting for Prom Royalty and Senior Superlatives. Looking at the ballots, I couldn’t help but vote for my friends, simply because I didn’t recognize many of the other names. These competitions will inevitably be popularity contests, just because the most popular will be known by more people.

I feel like I’m missing out on pivotal high school memories because I don’t know enough of my classmates. There was a good chance I could’ve never met the Prom King. I don’t even know if I agree with most of the superlative choices. I don’t have any experiences dealing with the “popular girls,” because our school is too big to have the “popular girls.”

When I was younger, I thought these stories and experiences weren’t relatable because I just wasn’t in high school yet. Now I’m finally graduating, but they remain pure fiction.

Evolution of Ellison

I’ve changed a lot since freshman year. Not gonna lie, I was pretty cringe. A lovelorn 14 year old whose mind was still developing and wasn’t sure why she was so angry all the time.

I remember coming into high school so happy to be away from middle school. I was so excited to be in a band and to meet new people. I looked up to pretty much everyone around me, especially in the band. I didn’t really see the bad in people. Some call that naivete. Getting into sophomore year, I made two decisions that changed my entire outlook on life: getting into a relationship, and becoming Drum Major. I think I should explain the good decision first.

Drum Major made me realize how much I love helping people. That first year was a challenge because most of the band was full of upperclassmen and I basically had to earn their respect. A lot of them thought I wasn’t qualified to be Drum Major because of how young I was. Me being a pushover did not help my case either. I didn’t like conflict, so I avoided it whenever I could, which wasn’t a good trait to have as leader of the marching band. Fast forward to these past two years. After some problematic people graduated, I

finally felt like the band was changing for the better! People seemed so much happier and more like a family, and I focused on becoming more assertive too! I would not have made the choice to go into political science at my college if I hadn’t been Drum Major.

My second decision: my old relationship. Now I know what you’re thinking. High school relationships are trash and don’t usually last anyway, why would I be writing about something so trivial? While I do agree with this statement, (and out of respect for the reader’s and my own time,) I will only say my ex played a crucial, and painful, part in my development as a young woman. I’ve learned a lot about what I need and deserve in a relationship, and I most certainly will not be making a mistake like that again. I learned my lesson!

Now I am a tiny yet fiery ball of energy about to embark on a new chapter in my life. There’s still a lot of things I’m trying to learn, especially my being more assertive. But I’m proud of who I am now. Even better, my character development isn’t going to stop! I’m excited to see what I will be in the future.

K.J Ellison Going to University of Nebraska - Lincoln to study Political Science